Last Years of Saint Therese

Doubt and Darkness, 1895-1897
Erscheinungsjahr 2013
ISBN: 978-0-19-998766-5
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 320 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 161 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 691 g

For over a century, the Carmelite Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (1873-1897) has been revered as Catholicism's foremost folk saint of modern times. Universally known as "the Little Flower, " she has been a source of consolation and uplift, an example of everyday sainthood by "the Little Way. " This book puts aside that piety and addresses the torment of doubt within the life and writing of a saint best known for the strength of her conviction.

Nevin examines the dynamics of Christian doubt, and argues that it is integral to the journey toward selfless love which Therese was compelled to take. Thérèse's metaphors for doubt were 'tunnel', 'fog', and 'vault', each one suggesting darkness, dimness, and enclosure. What, Nevin asks, did doubt mean to her? What was its source and nature? What was its object? He gives close attention to her reading and interpretations of the Old and New Testaments as pathways through her inner wilderness. Her Carmel of spiritual sisters becomes a vivid setting for this drama, with other women challenging Thérèse by their own trials of faith. One of Thérèse's indispensable lessons, Nevin concludes, is the acceptance of helplessness.

Bringing a new direction to the study of Therese, and of the problematics of sainthood itself, this book reveals how Thérèse's response to divine abandonment is a unique and painfully won imitation of Christ.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Nevin, Thomas R.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Systematische Theologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christliche Kirchen, Konfessionen, Denominationen Katholizismus, Römisch-Katholische Kirche

Inhaltsverzeichnis

- Preface: Dwelling Upon Darkness

- Introduction

- Abbreviations

- I. Her Spanish Masters: Darkness within the Carmel

- II. Seeking Light from the Bible

- III. Bearing the Cross of Community

- IV. Her Spiritual Brothers Guide Her Down

- V. Final Charity: The Last Autobiography

- Conclusion: Out of the Darkness

- Appendix 1: The Text of Her Darkness

- Appendix 2: The Darkness of Teresa de Jesús

- Notes

- Selected Annotated Bibliography

- Index

Über Autor(innen)

Professor of Classical Studies, John Carroll University